AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Greg Abbott doesn't think he and Democrat Wendy Davis will wind up waging the most expensive governor's race in Texas history.

But Abbott told The Associated Press that "I win" so long as he has the resources to deliver voters a message of keeping Texas government limited and taxes low. The Texas attorney general raised more than $20 million for a 2014 run even before he launched his campaign this summer.

Davis got in the race Thursday. Political observers say she will need to spend about $40 million to make her underdog bid competitive.

But money isn't everything. In 2002, Democratic billionaire Tony Sanchez wildly outspent Gov. Rick Perry but still lost in a race that approached nearly $100 million combined.